remembrance

May 26, 2019 • 3 Comments

The Santa Fe National Cemetery was busier than normal on the Sunday before Memorial Day in the United States, with family and friends, locating graves of their loved ones under grey skies and windy conditions that brought leaves and branches sailing down upon the grass surrounding the rows of headstones. I found myself wandering in an older part of the cemetery that houses a number of World War I soldiers, and kept seeing names familiar to those who live in New Mexico. Here are a few of the images I took in this truly beautiful resting place.

I did not notice until this visit that it seems the headstones of wives/husband who were not soldiers or veterans face the headstones of the soldiers/veterans. The three engraved stones in the middle of the image below are of wives married to soldiers/veterans.

Memorial Day 2019 SF National Cemetery

Although much more could be done to honor service members who have passed, and to assist with the needs of current veterans and their families, I am pleased that the tradition of honoring each with a flag on Memorial Day continues.

until next Monday,

a passion for the image@

Keywords: Blacks Crossing Photography, Daryl A. Black, graveyards, Memorial Day, New Mexico, photography, Santa Fe National Cemetery, Taos

Comments

Elida Hanson-Finelli(non-registered)

Thank you Daryl for your beautiful heart and soul which always expresses through your work.

Steve Immel(non-registered)

Thanks for the wonderful tribute to those who served. I had no idea that the wives or husbands of soldiers and veterans could be interred, as well. It's particularly poignant that the spouses inscriptions face their partners. We drove by on Friday and saw that there was more activity than normal as would be the case. You've done Memorial Day proud. I've tried to photograph veteran's cemeteries several times and found it difficult to do.

Dianne James(non-registered)

Wonderful and moving photographs, Daryl. We have Homelake Veterans Center,(locally called the soldiers' home) here, and they have a ceremony each year to honor veterans I used to take the kids to the cemetary on Memorial Day, when they were very young. One time, on the night before, my daughter, knowing we would be going there, asked me "If I pray for a rainbow, tomorrow, will God give me a rainbow?" I was at a loss for words for a few seconds, my mind asking will my answer destroy her faith, if there is no rainbow?" so I answered, back peddling a bit, that if conditions were right, "yes He could give you a rainbow". Well, the next day was sunny and clear- not a cloud in the sky, nor whisper of misty rain. As we walked through the cemetery looking at all the gravestones, including one of their cousins who had died in infancy at UNM Hospital soon after she was born, I kept thinking about that rainbow prayer and promise. As we rounded another row of markers, a sprinkler was watering the area, and to my surprise, there was Robin's rainbow in all its glory emanating from the mist of the sprinkler. Our answers might not take the form we imagined, but there are always answers. Have a peaceful Memorial Day, and thank you for sharing the beauty of your images.

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